THE FIVE: Our Fanboy leader

Kevin Smith is a geek's god, proving a life-long love of "Star Wars" actually can translate into a very lucrative career. Now we're counting down his best movies.

MICHAEL SADOWSKI

You either like Kevin Smith or you don’t.

Here at The Five, we do.

He doesn’t make it easy, occasionally throwing out a “Jersey Girl” to remind you he’s not the best writer/director in the world, and probably would have to fight to crack the top 10. He basically created and/or popularized the term “fanboy,” including so many geeky references to Lando Calrissian, Greedo and The Death Star that you’d swear he’s on George Lucas’s payroll.

But when he hits – and he’s done it more often than not – he could be the funniest, most thought-provoking and most insightful Hollywood guy around, even if his version of “insightful” isn’t your idea of it.

He’s the comedic version of John Sayles, the man who has his pulse on America and American pop culture more than any other director working today – including Quentin Tarrantino.

To get ready for his new film “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” – opening Friday – take a look back at the best projects of Smith’s career, now at 14 Hollywood years and counting:

5. “Good Will Hunting” (1999): This is a stretch – he didn’t write, direct or star in it. It’s not like Jay and Silent Bob try to sell Minnie driver pot in a deleted scene. But he gets exec producer credit on it because he’s the one who brought the script to Mirimax when Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were looking for a distributor. It’s the reason Damon and Affleck lampoon Smith during the shooting of “Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season” in “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.”

4. “Mallrats” (1995): I know, I know. But watch it again if you get the chance. Jason Lee’s Brodie is one of the funniest characters Smith has ever written, and even though Jeremy London and Michael T. Rooker are almost unwatchable in their robot-like performances, there is enough good in this to get you about 15 good belly laughs.

3. “Chasing Amy” (1997): Do you know how hard it is to make Ben Affleck look like he can act? Do you really know? It’s darn hard. Or perhaps you haven’t seen “Daredevil”? Smith makes it happen by surrounding him with great dialogue and likeable, relatable characters that pop off the screen and make us feel like we’ve all had a twisted gay-and-lesbian love triangle. This is Smith’s real-life story with star Joey Lauren Adams, at least the Silent Bob speech is.

2. “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” (2001): The biggest inside Hollywood joke this side of “The Player.” It’s easy to see why this movie hasn’t caught on as hit, allowing it to be properly recognized as one of the funniest movies of the decade. To say it’s not everyone’s cup of tea is like saying Keanu Reeves is only slightly untalented. There are more F-bombs in this than a “Def Jam Comedy Show” and there is so much morally wrong with this movie, I’d imagine Smith is wanted in at least seven states. If you can get by that – and really, you should – then it’s a cameo-filled 90 minutes of hysterical laughter.

1. “Dogma” (1999): His best combination of comedy and creativity, Smith has never done better. Savor this one, the story of religious blind faith and its place in the world. Never forget that is the theme of the movie – even if protesters during the movie’s run in theaters wanted you to believe it was much, much more. Or less. Whatever. It’s an all-star cast -- Damon in particular is on point as one of the fallen angels that threatens all of existence. Chris Rock hasn’t been this funny outside of his stand-up act since Nat X. It was a labor of love for Smith, who poured his heart into this – and it shows.

Honorable mention: The “Live Free or Die Hard” DVD interview with Bruce Willis, the better-than-the-first “Clerks II,” his consulting/directing gig with “Reaper” and the Jay and Silent Bob commercials from MTV.

Purposely left off: The aforementioned “Jersey Girl,” the perposterous "Catch and Release," the original, overrated “Clerks” and anything he does with “Degrassi.”